Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,938 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,835 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $2,913,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $88,339,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company's stock worth $194,908,000 after purchasing an additional 296,950 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 128.1% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company's stock worth $51,554,000 after purchasing an additional 296,890 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter worth $30,063,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $225,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE:NVS traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $111.51. The company had a trading volume of 2,174,527 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,439,730. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $105.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53.

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Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NVS shares. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, HSBC lowered Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis AG engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.